TMZ Games

Deadmau5 is softening his stance on not issuing an apology for using homophobic language while streaming on Twitch ... admitting his original statement was "an insult to injury."

ICYMI -- the DJ and producer got hit with a suspension from the video game streaming site after reportedly referring to a troll as a "f*cking c**k-sucking stream sniper f*g" while playing PUBG.

Deadmau5 didn't help his cause after the incident ... refusing to apologize and saying his words were "intended to insult a f*ckin asshat who was being a f*cking asshat."

The 38-year-old says he's had time to cool down ... and now understands the backlash.

"I know what I said was wrong, and my hastily composed non-apology was an insult to injury," Deadmau5 says.

"I realize that trying to somewhat dismiss it as 'gamer culture' was even worse. I don't know why I did that. But I do know it was stupid and insensitive and I feel even more ashamed. This was my worst moment."

Deadmau5 also apologized for going after Twitch for the temporary ban ..."It was all around an incredibly irresponsible and insensitive thing to say nonetheless. Especially for someone who has a reach."

"What I said was incredibly stupid, and I don't actually hold those beliefs, at all. I let some gamer get the best of me, and in that moment I completely lost control."

"Sometimes I just f*ck up. I do mean well. And I'm at least man enough to know when I've f*cked up. And I've f*cked up."

Deadmau5 says he plans to stay out of the spotlight until he knows he's a better person.

Alfonso Ribeiro making the "Carlton Dance" popular on 'The Fresh Prince' doesn't mean he legally owns it ... according to the feds, and it could mean a big L for him in his battle with Fortnite.

The bad news became public this week in court -- a registration specialist for the U.S. Copyright Office told Alfonso's attorney that the actor's bid to lock down the rights to the dance is being denied. The copyright pro said Alfonso's moves amount to nothing more than a "simple dance routine."

As if that wasn't enough of a shot at Carlton ... the expert broke down the dance step-by-step, saying ... "The combination of these three dance steps is a simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work."

We broke the story ... Alfonso is suing the creators of Fortnite -- as well as the creators of NBA 2K -- for allegedly ripping off the dance without his permission.

Aside from the fact that he'd never tried to copyright the dance in the 27 years since it debuted on 'Fresh Prince' -- as NBA 2K lawyers point out in a motion to dismiss the suit -- Alfonso also admitted on camera the dance was inspired by others. That credit goes to Courteney Cox and Eddie Murphy.

Famed DJ Deadmau5 says he will NOT apologize for using homophobic language while streaming on Twitch -- saying the slurs were only "intended to insult a f*ckin asshat who was being a f*cking asshat."

The man behind the megahit "Ghosts 'N' Stuff" got hit with a temporary suspension from the video game streaming site after reportedly referring to a troll as a "f*cking c**k-sucking stream sniper f*g" while playing PUBG.

Deadmau5 believes the ban is unfair -- and fired off a fiery new statement announcing he will no longer work with Twitch ... which is a HUGE deal considering he has 500,000 Twitch followers.

But, the statement is far from an apology ... in fact, he DEFENDS the offensive language he used during his live stream and accused Twitch of having a "double standard" when it comes to meting out punishment.

"I'm not going to stand for twitch's double standard when it comes to censoring and suspending me for harmless sh*t," the DJ said.

"While we've had some fun partnerships here and there, and they were a great company to work with... im gunna have to cut this one short. I dont have the capacity to deal with that kind of sh*t."

He added, "While what i said was generally toxic as f*ck, and not an ideology i hold closely to my moral standing by a f*ckin longshot."

"While it was intended to insult a f*ckin asshat who was being a f*cking asshat.... it wasnt 'directed at an entire group of people who have a sexual orientation that differs from my own'. f*ck off with that sh*t."

"I know who i am, and i dont have to f*cking sit here and cry and defend my f*cking self with the obligatory 'IM NOT THAT PERSON, I AM SORRY' reflex. If im sorry for antying, im sorry that we live in a world where bottom feeding pieces of sh*t can sit there starring at a monitor, watching me play videos games, and just waiting for someone to get tilted so he can get a few fucking clicks. thats what i'm sorry for."

And, if you think Deadmau5 is bluffing, you're wrong -- he's already deleted his Twitch channel.

You don't think the people at Fortnite were gonna back down from a fight, did you?

TMZ has learned Epic Games has loaded up their metaphorical Battle Bus to go to war with 2 Milly, the rapper who claims the video game stole his signature Milly Rock dance move.

Remember, 2 Milly sued Epic Games back in December for copyright infringement claiming ownership of the Milly Rock, which Fortnite players can use to celebrate a victory on the virtual battlefield.

But, Epic says they have done nothing wrong -- because 1) No one can own a dance step. And, 2) The dance in Fortnite is different than the Milly Rock.

Epic's argument isn't too complex -- they claim copyright law does NOT allow people to own individual dance steps and simple dance routines because they are "building blocks of free expression."

The other argument ... Fortnite claims their characters aren't even doing the Milly Rock, but rather a similar dance called the Swipe It ... which is a slower version of the M.R.

Baker Mayfield's clearly moving on from a drunken arrest he called "the biggest mistake of my life" ... 'cause he joked about the whole incident on a Fortnite stream earlier this week.

The Browns superstar took to Twitch to show off his gaming skills ... and while he was running with his avatar, he said, "Hopefully I’m running faster than I was in Arkansas right now!"

Of course, Baker was arrested back in Arkansas in February 2017 ... where he was infamously blasted by a cop who caught him immediately after he tried to run from being questioned.

Baker apologized shortly after the incident, saying, "I made the biggest mistake of my life by putting myself in this situation."

"The shame, guilt, and embarrassment I have felt over the past few days and continue to feel is something I would never wish upon anybody."

Clearly, Bake's ready to joke about the whole thing now ... broadcasting his Twitch stream to thousands of followers.

Are you routinely getting destroyed in "Fortnite" by 12-year-old kids???

Sick of being the biggest loser in the Battle Bus?

Well, listen up ... because Ninja -- the greatest Fortnite player alive -- has some tips on how to not suck.

The gaming superstar was out in NYC after hosting a big New Year's Eve event and stopped to talk about gaming in 2019.

One of the topics ... will Fortnite continue its reign of dominance in the year after smashing all competitors in 2018?

Ninja believes it will -- and his logic is very interesting ... essentially saying Fortnite took out one of the biggest names in gaming, a game that held the #1 spot in several categories for 10 years.

So, worst case scenario ... Ninja sees Fortnite staying in the top spot for at least another 5 years.

That means you better start practicing, because it ain't going away -- and Ninja had some great advice on how to get better.

There's more ... Ninja also says he raised $1 MILLION for charity in 2018 and he's gunning to beat that number in 2019.

The CEO and co-founder of HQ Trivia allegedly died after a drug-fueled night with his girlfriend ... but she says he was fine when she left him.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Colin Kroll's GF told investigators she was with him the Friday night before he was found dead in his Manhattan apartment, and they were both doing drugs. We're told she claims she saw him using cocaine and heroin.

The girlfriend says she left Kroll's place in the wee hours of Saturday morning and he was alive and well, but after she didn't hear from him all day ... she contacted police to check up on him.

We broke the story ... the HQ honcho died of an apparent drug overdose. We're told cops found him early Sunday, lying facedown in his bed with drug paraphernalia nearby.

Our sources say detectives recovered several phones and a laptop from Kroll's residence to investigate the source of the drugs. His GF has not been charged in connection with his death.

Kroll co-founded the popular mobile trivia game last year and was named CEO in 2018.

He was 34.

11:08 PM PT -- Ribeiro's attorney, David Hecht, is downplaying the clip, telling us, "On numerous occasions, Mr. Ribeiro has commented on his inspiration for the dance. In the clip, Mr. Ribeiro used the word “stole” in jest. He did not use the word 'stole' in the legal sense."

He continues, "In his words, it was Ribeiro's (a professional dancer's) interpretation of what a white person looks like when they dance. That describes a copyrightable choreographic work."

Alfonso Ribeiro's past just bit him in the ass in his Fortnite lawsuit -- because he ADMITTED he stole the very same Carlton Dance moves he's suing over ... and the confession is on camera!

Here's the deal ... Ribeiro is suing the massive video game -- along with NBA 2K -- claiming they ripped off his signature moves without paying him a cent.

In his lawsuit, Alfonso claims he created the dance and is currently in the process of copyrighting it.

The problem for Ribeiro -- April 23, 2012 -- the day he looked into a TMZ camera and explained how he "stole" the moves from Courteney Cox and Eddie Murphy!

Alfonso says decades ago he was tasked with creating a dance for 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' -- and essentially wanted his character to dance like a super white person.

So, he thought to himself, "I know exactly -- I'm going to steal it!"

Seriously, Alfonso walked us through how he took Cox's moves from the Bruce Springsteen "Dancing in the Dark" video and meshed it with Eddie's famous "White Man Dance" -- and voila, Carlton Dance!

The question now ... can you successfully sue someone for stealing something you admitted you stole yourself?

"Why would you wanna watch someone play a video game?!"

Ninja's heard that question a lot recently ... and the eSports legend says his answer to his hating-ass haters is simple -- 'cause he's really freakin' good at it.

In fact ... the Fortnite prodigy says it's actually similar to why people watch NFL, MLB or NHL players!!!

"There's so many people like, 'Well, why do you watch people play video games when you can go play video games yourself?' And, it's like, can you do that? Can you compete at that high of level and be entertaining?"

"You watch the NFL and things like that because you want to watch people do things that you know you can't. It's the same thing with gaming and streaming."

Ninja made the statements Monday night on 'The Tonight Show' to Jimmy Fallon ... and it's pretty clear he's growing tired of people questioning his insane online popularity.

"Dude, it's so funny, man. Why would you want to watch the best of the best play football, soccer, hockey??"

It's a great point ... and Ninja's clearly proving it every day -- the guy has 12.5 MILLION followers on Twitch, AND over 20 MILLION subscribers on YouTube!!!

10:08 AM -- Backpack Kid tells us his mom and manager feel Fortnite is taking advantage of him, and he's letting the grown-ups handle the legal process.

Backpack Kid spoke out on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, saying he doesn't care about getting a fat check from the lawsuit, because he just cares about people watching and enjoying his videos. Besides, he says he's got more important things on his plate, like his 17th birthday and new single.

Backpack Kid is the latest to jump into the lawsuit game over Fortnite allegedly ripping off signature dances.

Backpack Kid's mom filed the latest lawsuit on behalf of her 16-year-old kid, who blew up back in 2016 when he posted videos of himself on Instagram doing a dance, which he called The Floss.

Fortnite released the Season 2 Battle Pass in December of last year and, as part of the Pass, it offered a new, rare emote that it called The Floss. It allows the players who win the game to do the dance.

Just like Alfonso Ribeiro and 2 Milly, Backpack Kid says he's in the process of copyrighting the dance, but claims Fortnite has still ripped him off.

Interestingly enough ... we spoke to Backpack Kid about his dance in the game back in June. He told us he felt like they should cut him a check, but said, "It's not that big of a deal, I'm just glad it's in the game."

He's also suing 2K Sports, which makes NBA 2K, claiming it too stole his dance.

Backpack Kid is suing for unspecified damages and wants a judge to stop the companies from stealing his moves.

Carolynn Kyungwon Beck and David Hecht of Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht are repping Backpack Kid.

It's not all bad for Backpack Kid tho ... he just premiered his music video for his single, "Drip on Boat," exclusively with us and his EP, "SwagPack Kid," comes out Wednesday.

2:45 PM PT -- 2 Milly has also sued 2K Games for putting his dance in NBA 2K.

12:35 PM PT -- Ribeiro just filed an identical suit against 2K Games -- the company that makes NBA 2K.

Alfonso Ribeiro is the latest celeb who's got beef with Fortnite's pop culture-influenced dances -- and now he's suing the creators of the game for jacking his own.

The former 'Fresh Prince' star just filed suit against Epic Games -- which developed the crazy popular multi-player game -- claiming the company completely ripped off the famous dance his character, Carlton Banks, did on the show throughout the series.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Alfonso says that Fortnite released a new dance that its characters can perform called the "Fresh emote," which came out on Jan 2, 2018 ... and it's a carbon copy of what he claims he came up with on the '90s sitcom.

He also claims he's in the middle of copyrighting the Carlton dance.

The lawsuit is almost identical to the one filed by 2 Milly earlier this month for jacking his "Milly Rock" dance.

Alfonso's attorney, David Hecht of Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP, tells us, "It is widely recognized that Mr. Ribeiro’s likeness and intellectual property have been misappropriated by Epic Games in the most popular video game currently in the world, Fortnite."

He continues, "Epic has earned record profits off of downloadable content in the game, including emotes like “Fresh.” Yet Epic has failed to compensate or even ask permission from Mr. Ribeiro for the use of his likeness and iconic intellectual property."

We reached out to Epic Games but were told they don't comment on ongoing litigation.

Tony Hawk didn't just slap his name on his "Skate Jam" video game -- he personally picked the soundtrack ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The skating legend just dropped the mobile game on Thursday -- continuing his legendary Tony Hawk video game empire ... and it's dope.

Not only does the game look sick -- and Tony approved the gameplay -- he made it his mission to load it up with sick music ... the same way the other game always deliver when it comes to the soundtrack.

Tony says he selected bands like Interpol, Cold Cave, Frontside Hanni El Khatib, Se Vende and more -- but there was a big challenge.

The game was being developed on the sly ... so, he wanted to contact the bands but didn't want to risk letting the secret out.

In the end, it all worked out ... and the game is dope as hell.

12:55 PM PT -- 2 Milly tells us he didn't know what Fortnite was until people started contacting him over social media, telling him the game was stealing his dance. The rapper says even his daughter noticed the similarities to his moves.

2 Milly says the dance started showing up in season 5 of Fortnite, and he wasn't alerted to it until a few months after the release. He says Epic took his craft and sold it as their own, and he wants fair compensation.

2 Milly says he's not trying to ruin the game for anyone, but he's calling out Epic for unethical business practices and wants the "Swipe It" dance removed entirely.

The rapper filed legal docs this week against Epic Games -- the company that makes Fortnite Battle Royale -- for allegedly using his popular Milly Rock moves in the game without his permission to capitalize on the popular dance craze ... and make a ton of cash.

According to the docs ... Fortnite players can purchase the dance -- which is called "Swipe It" in the game -- for their characters. Problem is ... 2 Milly claims "Swipe It" is an exact replica of his Milly Rock, but they never asked him to use it or offered to pay him for it.

2 Milly also alleges dance-stealing is a common trend in Fortnite. According to the suit ... the game copied Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot" dance and the famous Carlton dance from 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' -- among many others -- without consent or compensation "to exploit African-American talent" for profit.

The rapper is suing Epic for damages and legal fees ... and wants his dance moves removed from the game.

His attorney David L. Hecht of Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP tells us his firm is, "proud to stand up for African-American creatives whose expression and likenesses have misappropriated. Epic is enjoying record profits off of downloadable content in Fortnite, yet has failed to pay or even ask permission to use artists’ intellectual property and likenesses over many of its popular emote dances."

We reached out to the Fortnite makers ... no word back so far.

Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann -- one of the best soccer players in the world -- just turned his Fortnite victory celebration into a fashion item ... with a new $20,000 "Take The L" chain!

Griezmann is obsessed with the video game -- and has been doing the "Take the L" dance after most of the goals he scores in the Champions League.

He even busted out the move while playing for Team France during the 2018 World Cup!

Now, he's taken the celebration to the next level -- hitting up Jason of Beverly Hills to commission a special pendant loaded with black diamonds.

"Antoine is a huge Fortnite fan and reached out to us to create a fun piece that made a statement. We finished it in a couple weeks and flew it out to him" ... Jason tells us.

In fact, we're told the piece has nearly 6.5 carats of black diamonds and .60 carats of green tsavorite.

Griezmann even wore his new piece in Madrid on Wednesday before his game with AS Monaco. And, it seems like a good luck charm, Antoine already scored a goal!

UFC star Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone is so obsessed with "Red Dead Redemption 2" -- he's even dressing like the characters for a little fight week inspiration.

Cerrone is fighting "Platinum" Mike Perry at UFC Fight Night 139 in Denver on Saturday -- and if he seems extra violent this week, it's because he's been murdering everyone in New Hanover.

Cowboy doesn't even consider himself a "gamer" -- but said he HAD to buy 'RDR2' because it seemed to be right up his alley ... and he was right.

The game is already a massive hit -- earning a record $750 MILLION in the first 3 days of sales. In fact, one of the plot points in this week's "South Park" episode is how everyone is obsessed with the game.

Right before we started the interview with Cerrone, he told us his outfit was inspired by Arthur Morgan -- the main character in the game.

"Not only have I been playing the game, but I pre-purchased the $100 package with the horses and the guns."

"It's Cowboy all the way. So, I love it. Yeah. It's so cool. Just how you can just kill everybody. Whatever you want. I can't go into any town without being harassed by everyone, 'cause I just murder everybody."

Derek Brunson says he knows Jon Jones ... 'cause he's trained with Bones for years, and Israel Adesanya ain't no Jones.

Brunson -- the #6 ranked UFC middleweight -- is fighting Adesanya at UFC 230 this weekend ... and he told us Israel's got some talent ... but the Jon Jones comparisons are ridiculous.

"People forget, I trained with Jon Jones for years. So, I know what it's like. And, this guy don't have the wrestling pedigree. He's not Jon Jones, at all. He don't have the strength."

"I feel very good about this match up. He got a lot of hype behind him. I'm gonna put that to rest."

BTW, if you're wondering why Derek keeps lookin' away from the camera ... he was playing a video game.

"I'm playing Fortnite ... I ain't worried about ya, Israel."